Dear Mayor Bowser,
We are writing to ask you to halt the exits of families in rapid re-housing until the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA) can complete the housing voucher eligibility and lease-up process for the significant number of vouchers that are available now or by October 1. It has long been the policy of DHS to pause exits for families connected (or about to be connected) to a permanent housing resource.
As you know, on July 11 DCHA approved a special preference for families exiting rapid re-housing, up to 1,300 Housing Choice Vouchers, saying: “The preference is intended to prevent such families from losing their housing assistance when their [rapid re-housing] subsidy ends.” The preference is limited to families “whose participation in [rapid re-housing] is ending between May 1, 2024, and July 31, 2024, due to time limits for assistance and/or program expiration.” In addition, the D.C. Council dedicated 451 new housing vouchers to families exiting rapid re-housing in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget in order to prevent families from facing eviction and homelessness upon exit. Thanks to the work of DHS, DCHA, and the D.C. Council to secure these resources, almost every family who has been in rapid re-housing for at least twelve months can be exited to a permanent housing voucher, ensuring continued and long-term housing stability for thousands of D.C. families.
With this plan now in place, we ask you to maintain families in rapid re-housing – including restoring rapid re-housing rental assistance to those who have been terminated – until they are able to lease up with a voucher. This is consistent with the long-term DHS practice of not exiting families from rapid re-housing if they have been found eligible for permanent housing programs. It does not make sense to exit families from a rental assistance program they rely on, knowing that they will be connected to a new program in a matter of months. In the interim, nearly all families will get behind on rent, and landlords will suffer from unpaid rent at a time when rental delinquencies are especially high. Landlords may initiate eviction proceedings, creating an unnecessary burden for renters and landlords. Families will face harms of worsened credit records, needing to deal with an eviction notice – and possibly actual eviction – when they should be focused on securing their voucher and a place to use it.
We request that you direct DHS to halt exits, reinstate anyone who has already been terminated, and pause any appeals of exits until families have been successfully transferred and leased up with all housing vouchers that are currently or imminently available for these families. We know that your administration can move quickly to house D.C. residents when all hands are on deck—we have seen you do it before. But that will not be possible if DHS and rapid re-housing providers remain focused on exiting families and defending appeals.
We know that you share our goal that all D.C. families have safe, stable housing. Your agencies and the D.C. Council identified long-term vouchers to help make that goal a reality for nearly 2,000 families facing exit from rapid re-housing. However, if DHS continues moving forward with exits and cutting off rental assistance before those families can be connected to a voucher, not only will families still lose their housing stability, but there will also be significant costs to the District, to landlords, and to other D.C. residents. D.C will see increased family shelter usage, which is more expensive than housing support; decreased willingness by landlords to rent to families in rapid re-housing, making it harder to exit families from shelter; greater number of at-risk children in school, with higher attendant costs; and greater difficulty finding new housing for families who will now have evictions on their records.
Thank you for your consideration of this request. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss the issue further with your office.
Sincerely,
Organizations:
- ACLU DC
- Advocates for Justice and Education, Inc.
- ANC 1C03
- ANC 7C06
- Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center
- Ayuda
- Baldwin House Cooperative Association
- Black Swan Academy
- Bread for the City
- Building Cooperative Communities
- Capital Stonewall Democrats
- Central American Resource Center
- Children’s Law Center
- Coalition for the Homeless
- DC Action
- DC Bar Pro Bono Center
- DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- DC Communist Party, CPUSA
- DC for Democracy
- DC Fiscal Policy Institute
- DC Jobs With Justice
- DC Justice Lab
- DC KinCare Alliance
- DC SAFE
- DC Statehood Green Party
- DC Volunteer Lawyers Project
- Disability Rights DC
- Empower DC
- EmpowerEd
- Equal Rights Center
- Eunnae at Law PLLC
- Fair Budget Coalition
- The Festival Center
- First Congregational UCC, DC
- First Shift Justice Project
- Grassroots DC
- Jews United for Justice
- Just Breathe Love & Support
- Justice and Witness Action Network DC team
- Kamey Law PLLC
- Latin American Youth Center
- Legal Aid DC
- Legal Counsel for the Elderly
- Mamatoto Village
- Metropolitan Educational Solutions, LLC
- Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid
- Mother’s Outreach Network
- My Sister’s Place
- National Center for Housing & Child Welfare
- National Coalition for the Homeless
- National Homelessness Law Center
- National Lawyers Guild, DC Chapter
- Network for Victim Recovery of DC
- Open City Advocates
- Our Daily Bread
- Pathways to Housing DC
- People for Fairness Coalition
- Peoples Congregational United Church of Christ
- Playtime Project
- Positive Force DC
- Restaurant Opportunities Center of DC
- Rising for Justice
- Sanctuary DMV
- Save Chinatown Solidarity Network
- Save Us Now Inc
- SchoolHouse Connection
- Small Multifamily Owners Association
- SOME, Inc. (So Others Might Eat)
- SPACEs In Action
- Street Health DC
- Sunrise DC
- Tzedek DC
- United Planning Organization
- Ward 7 Food Center
- Washington Interfaith Network
- Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs
- Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless
- We Are Family Senior Outreach Network
- Who Speaks for Me?
- Yachad
Individuals:
- Stefanie Abramowitz
- Terri Acker
- Allison Acosta
- Greg Afinogenov
- Karen Agresti
- Nashrah Ahmed
- Jane Ahrens
- Takiya Aiken
- Petra Ajaka
- Reeya Amin
- Melanie Armstrong
- Justin Arrington, Esq.
- Ēlen Awalom
- Sarah Baczewski
- Ben Barge
- Mackenzie Baris
- Nandi Bartons
- Ahuva Battams
- Eliott Becker
- Maddy Belin
- Josie Belliveau
- Khadija Belly
- Jana Belsky
- Semyia Bennett
- Marta Beresin, Deputy Director, Health Justice Alliance Law Clinic, Georgetown Law
- Eden Berke
- Courtney Bernard, EJW Fellow, Georgetown Health Justice Alliance Perinatal LAW Project
- Bernick
- Sam Bertocchi
- Dawn Biehler
- Aaron Bobrow
- Katie Boleware, LICSW
- Sharif Booker
- Sidney Booth
- Matthew Boucher
- Charmaine Brandon
- Isaiah Brazil
- Whitney Brimfield
- LaJuan Brooks
- Artecka Brown
- Cydne Brown
- Karlia Brown
- Laura Brown
- Shannon Brown
- Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza
- Terry Burroughs
- Susan Burton
- Elizabeth Buss
- Jamie Butler
- Jennifer Callaghan
- Flor Canales
- Ruby Carmen
- Ana Caskin
- Deborah Chandler
- AJ Cho
- Jay Cho
- Sarah Cho
- Jacqueline Clardy-Josephs
- Dominick Clemente
- Elise Cleva
- Ellen Conover
- Latinique Cooper
- John Copacino, Georgetown Criminal Justice Clinic
- Molly Crabb
- Dylan Craig
- Akela Crawford
- Kayla Crawford
- Armand Cuevas
- Patrick Curran
- Chrysta Daebler
- Nathaniel Day
- Alice Day-Biehler
- Damiana Dendy
- Keda Denim
- Donna Derry
- Emily Devereaux
- Cameron Diaz
- Jackie Diaz
- Marissa Ditkowsky, Esq.
- Meredith Dodson
- Maggie Donahue
- Jon Dougherty
- Izzy Downer
- James Driver
- Alexandra Drobnick
- Joshua Drumming
- Ria Dudley
- Abby Dunn
- Carolyn Dunwell
- Margaret Dwyer
- Sarah Dwyer
- Sarah Edgar
- Rachelle Ellison
- Jennifer Barnes Eliot
- Amanda Eisenhour
- Margaret Emery
- Jayme Epstein
- Melissa Erickson, LICSW
- Manuel Escalante
- Margaret Eyring
- Steven M. Fake
- Jay Falk
- Gabriella Farrell
- Elizabeth Farry
- Elise Faulk
- Connor Ferraro
- Amy Fischer
- Allison Fisher
- Erik Fisher
- Kiley Fisher
- Latasha Fogle
- Kimya Forouzan
- Farah Fosse
- Debbie Fox
- Talia Frank
- Shawn Fremstad
- Becca Fritz
- Laura Fuchs, DCPS teacher
- Patricia Mullahy Fugere
- Joshua Fuller
- Benyel Fulton
- Jo Furmanchik
- Kendra G.
- Tricia G.
- Lauren Gaffney
- Susan Gallucci, LICSW
- Howard Garrett
- Heath Gemar
- Meaghan Gemar
- Barbara Gerlach
- Eunice Geronimo
- Talia Gilbert
- Jen Girdish
- Ava Glover
- Sarah Glynn
- Joan Goldfrank
- Karen Gomez
- Abby Goodman
- Tracy L. Goodman
- Donyelle Gorham
- Rebekah Grafton
- Kate Gratz
- Allana Green
- Bernice Green
- Lauren Greenberg
- Patricia Greenwell
- Patricia Griffin
- Denise Groone
- Sharita Gruberg
- Joy Ann Grune
- Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn
- Jeffrey Gutman
- Vanessa H.
- Emily Hahn
- Ivory Haight
- Rachel Hall
- Joshua Hammond
- Lonnyce Hammond
- Amber Harding
- Amelia Harding
- Peggy Harding
- Scott Harding
- Jamelle Harris
- Elinor Hart
- Robert Harvey
- Megan Hastie
- Tiffany Headley
- Ronece Henderson
- Tahira Henderson
- Morgan Hensley
- Mike Herbert
- Sihnuu Hetep
- Almaz Hewitt
- Diane Hinkle
- Stephanie Holladay
- Rendon Holloway
- Qiana Hooker
- Claire Hoptay
- Ann Hoffman
- Noah Armahn Homes
- Chelsea Hopkins
- Emma Horseman
- Deandre Horton
- Tiara Hoty
- Amanda Howard
- Brad Howard
- Sterling Howard
- Ryan Humeniuk
- Paula Humphries
- Megan Hustings
- Judith Ingram
- Keisha Ingram
- Jeremiah Israel
- Angelecca Jackson
- Beverly Jackson
- Frances Jackson
- Markia Jackson
- Vivian H. Jackson
- John R Jacob
- Adam Jacobs
- Candace James
- Akira Jarrett
- Jen Jenkins
- Elias Johnson
- Sarah Johnson
- Tiffani Nichole Johnson
- Alejandra Jolodosky
- Robin K.
- Barbara Kagan
- Alexia Kelley
- Simyia Kent
- Lisa Kessler
- Kush Kharod
- Jerry King
- Maekenzi King
- Perry King
- Jana Kirkman
- Ruth Kleinrock
- Adam Koussari
- Hayley Kranz
- K. Krieger
- Joshua Krohn
- Christine Kumar
- Lowesha L.
- Luther Lacy
- Abigail Lamb
- Katharine Landfield
- Sarah Landfield
- Richard Landfield
- Rashaa Langston
- Sarah Laufenberg
- Rachel Lawrence, Esq
- Toni Lawrimore
- Cedric Lawson
- Anh-Thi Le
- Maria Elena Le
- Paul S. Lee
- Samantha Lee
- Kim Lehmkuhl
- Lori Leibowitz
- Grace Lempp
- Mary Alice Levine
- Latrice Lewis
- Maggie Lewis
- Robyn Lingo
- Vanessa Lopez
- Olivia Loving
- Kieaira Lucas
- Margaret Luck
- Charisse Lue
- Ashley Luttmer
- Jennifer P Lyman
- Adrienne Lynch
- Steve Mabley
- Meg Maguire
- Henri Makembe
- Karen Malovrh
- Lisa Berardi Marflak
- Julie Margolies
- Chris Marin
- Shayna Marlowe
- Eileen McCarthy
- Susie McClannahan
- Katie McConville
- Jason McGaughey
- Alice McNeill
- Elizabeth McPherson
- Marya McQuirter
- Anasa McTerrell
- Cathy Meals
- Barbara Meeker
- Vivian Mercer
- Shana Merker
- Danuel Michelson-Horowitz, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner 1C-01
- Hanan Miles
- Jason L. Miller
- Timothy Mills
- Ava Millstone
- Chelsea Mitchell
- Elizabeth Mitchell
- Muntaha Mohamed
- Anisa Mohanty
- Ashley Moore
- Zakariyya Moore
- Sarah Morgan
- Sarah Mosenkis
- Hope Moshi
- Bri Mundorff
- Niciah Petrovic Mujahid
- Anne Murphy
- Emily Murphy
- Monique Murphy
- Doris Murray
- Sara Myers
- Anna Nathanson
- Ariella Neckritz
- Ellen Nelson
- Rebecca Nelson
- Monika Nemeth
- Taylar Nuevelle
- Dre Nicholson
- Lyndsay Niles
- Parisa Norouzi
- Ashley Nwafor
- Jessica O’Connell
- Nicole Odom
- Maggie Okhuysen
- Camille Olney
- Olisa Onyiuke
- Elana Orbuch
- Kathleen OReilly
- Makenna Osborn
- Jesse Owens
- Daisy Gomez Palacios
- Julie M Palian
- Anjali Pancholi
- Katie Parker
- Angelo Parodi
- Moshe Pasternak
- John Payne
- Jen Pearson
- Natasha Pearson
- Nathan Peck
- Andre Pendleton
- Ryder Peralta-Reed
- Carolyn Perez
- Jessica Perlmutter
- Sczerina Perot
- Megan Phillippi
- Denetria Phillips
- Debbie Polhemus
- Les Poling
- Bonnie Politz
- Maddie Poore
- Lori Porcelli
- Dave Power
- Abraham Plaut
- Joanna Pratt
- Lindora Pressley
- Evan Preston
- Sosseh Prom
- Caroline Pryor
- Lisa Queen
- Hemali R.
- Kelly Racer
- Juana Osorio Ramírez
- Kate Ramirez
- Amaya Randolph
- Sarah E. Raskin
- Sarah Remes
- Judy Richardson
- Samantha Robertson
- Daniel Robinson
- Trixy Robinson
- Anna Roblin, ANC5d03
- Angela Rohan
- Matthew Rose
- Colin Ross
- Vikki Ross
- Rebecca Rothstein
- Quiana Rowe
- Evelyn Rupert
- Scott Ruskamp
- Caitlin Russi
- George Ruttinger
- Leila S.
- Naznin Saifi
- Jessica Salsbury
- Jessica Salute, WTU
- Nadia Salazar Sandi
- William Scher
- Gabriel Schirvar
- Nicole Schnakenberg
- Robin Schneider
- Andrew Schultheiss
- Jeff Schwaber
- Tammy Seltzer
- Jen Shahabuddin
- Shireen Shakouri
- Alexandra Shandell
- Jane Sheehan
- Sarah Shoenfeld
- Caroline Griswold Short
- Selma Siddig
- David Sieradzki
- Hilary Silver
- Jannie Simmons
- Shacora Simmons
- Claire Simon
- Charlottie Simpson
- Anisha Singh
- Zariah Singleton
- Alex Skarzynski
- Julia Skeen
- KC Slack, Senior Clergy Leader, Washington Ethical Society
- Nichola Sloley
- Tamara Smalls
- Sim Smiley
- Alexandra Smith
- Angela Smith
- Ashanell Smith
- Kandace Smith
- Laci Smith
- LyMyshia Smith
- Nathan Smith
- T. Smith
- Makayla Smith-Head
- Charner Snow
- Catherine G. Solomon
- Santha Sonenberg
- Gail Sonnemann
- Dee Srivastava
- Jillian Stabile
- Laquita Stagg
- Brittney Staples
- Ellen Hochstedler Steury
- Shadale Stevens
- Jade Stevenson
- Jewel Stevenson
- Shauna Stewart-Gray
- Jordan Stoner
- Noam Stopak
- Jewel Stroman
- Kory Stuer
- Julie Sweetland
- Kathryn Sylvia
- Krisztina Szabo
- Alicia Talbert
- Elizabeth Tang
- Michelle Tate
- Steph Tatham
- Valerie Taylor
- Alessandro Terenzoni
- Ann Thomas
- Kenyatta Thomas
- Lorraine Thomas
- Christopher Thompson
- Jamila Thompson
- Ría Thompson-Washington
- Denise Tinker
- Blanca Torres
- Emma Treat
- Angela Tyler-Williams
- Alex Tyson
- Jennifer Ubiera
- Gwen Umbach
- Rachel Unger
- Miya Upshur-Williams
- Claire Valdivia
- Mysiki Valentine
- Madhvi Venkatraman
- Jessica Vinson
- Tanisha Vinson
- Lauren VonWiegen
- Lindsey Wahowiak
- Sami Wallace
- Fiona Walsh
- Jennifer Wang
- Marissa Werner
- Natalie White
- David Whitman
- Reid Whyte
- Juliette Wilder
- Don Wiley
- Courtney Wilkes
- Colleen Wilson
- Dan Wilson
- Alexandra Wisbiski
- Marnie Wittig
- Caroline Wolverton
- Elizabeth Woolf
- Tristan Wood
- Vanessa A. Woodard-Kinard
- Khadeja Wright
- Will Yetvin
- Karla Yoder
- Anna Marie Yombo
- Misty Thomas Zaleski
- Kathy Zeisel
- Andrea Zimmermann
CC: Laura Zeilinger, Director, Department of Human Services
Keith Pettigrew, Executive Director, D.C. Housing Authority
Theresa Silla, Executive Director, Interagency Council on Homelessness
This final letter was sent on August 19, 2024.
Please do the right thing for people.
Mayor Bowser ,
Please consider keeping these families housed u til they have permanent support. With the Economic cost of everything rising how will we survive with the minimum wage? We can’t afford rent!
This is the voice of the people. This represents a large collective of citizenry. Shame apon the hired officials that refuse the public will.
This one of the biggest issues you have a lot of people sleeping in parks. There have nowhere to go so we have come together as a cry for help for them.
Please End RRH-1 unfair termination
The rising costs of living, food, and minimum wage are not just an issue. There are families and individuals who are struggling and are struggling to afford housing. These are individuals who are not prepared financially and shouldn’t be facing homelessness and have no permanent housing options that are available and guaranteed approval of a housing plan that will allow families and individuals a solution other than becoming homeless. This is a disastrous idea that should be put to rest and make the individuals who are responsible for implementing such a plan, move forward with a comprehensive approach to implementing a solution that is working towards achieving housing affordability and sustainable development for everyone.
Please keep the individual houses think they lease up with permanent subsidy everyone isn’t born wealthy or the capability to get where the higher ups we need this we have children and families we don’t want to be kicked out because we can’t afford market rent barely affording utilites then have a bad rental history please think how far this can affect us in the long run
Hi, Mayor Bowser! Please reconsider extending the deadline to help the families that have not been helped and promised a voucher and have been waiting with patience along with doing everything they could to pull themselves out of homelessness. No one should be placed back on the streets after they have been housed. No one deserves that type of agony or punishment. Everything is extremely expensive and tough to afford on their own without some type of assistance.
I am one those going back to the streets
Mayor Bowser , please consider keeping housing so many people are in need ,without housing how do we survive? When the cost of living is so high it’s expensive you can work 2 jobs and still can’t afford it , its bad enough some many people are homeless now could you imagine half of the city please help us !
We are writing to ask you to halt the exits of families in rapid re-housing until the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA) can complete the housing voucher eligibility and lease-up process for the significant number of vouchers that are available now
Housing is a fundamental human right.
its bad enough so many people are homeless now could you imagine half of the city. How are we supposed to keep. Time down, when you are taking away one of the important thing a person needs (housing). If you remove the housing program, you would be doing more harm than good.
Hi, Mayor Bowser! Please reconsider extending the deadline to help the families that have not been helped and promised a voucher and have been waiting with patience along with doing everything they could to pull themselves out of homelessness. No one should be placed back on the streets after they have been housed. No one deserves that type of agony or punishment. Everything is extremely expensive and tough to afford on their own without some type of assistance.
This removal is counter to the DC Values the Mayor touts she believes in.
Forcing families out of their homes and into the streets and shelters is unconsciousable when housing vouchers will soon be available for them.. please do not evict.
DHS should reconsider removing 1,000 families from the rapid rehousing program because it would disrupt the stability of families, particularly as the school year begins, causing unnecessary trauma to children and parents alike. Many of these families are eligible for housing vouchers, but need additional time to secure them. By exiting families prematurely, DHS risks exacerbating homelessness and undermining the very purpose of the rapid rehousing program. Allowing families to stay until they can access available vouchers would ensure a more humane and effective transition to permanent housing, in line with the intent of housing assistance programs.
Keep the families housed.
This won’t help families or the city and is inconsistent with the values we all share.
Please consider creating a plan that will add to more families without homes. It is possible.
its bad enough so many people are homeless now could you imagine half of the city. How are we supposed to keep. Time down, when you are taking away one of the important thing a person needs (housing). If you remove the housing program, you would be doing more harm than good. Are you really thinking about people with kids? Put yourself in their shoes.
Housing is the key to showing up as our best selves for our family and community. Safe, affordable, quality housing is a human right.
Who Speaks For Me?
Please be considerate of the people that are in the program and have somewhere for them to go when exiting.